Six Brilliant Hostels
October 19, 2009 - 19:44 — tomcooper
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Aille River Hostel, Doolin, Co Clare: Hostel-goers are spoilt for choice in Doolin, but for me this is the pick of the bunch. The hostel (right) is based around a 300-year-old stone cottage but modern bedroom, shower and kitchen facilities blend with the traditional feel. Camping is outside in the walled garden. This is another place for a warm peat fire and traditional flagstone floors.
Don't forget to ask where to find the best local music in the village. - Belfast City Youth Hostel: It's hard running a city youth hostel, but this is one of the best. Despite the numbers of beds and residents, the staff do a heroic job of keeping things clean and tidy. There isn't too much hassle from party-goers and the Belfast hostel still manages to maintain a real hostelling feel. Security is taken seriously and there are bike racks in the secured car parks. When booking note that the larger dorms are actually the newer (and better) ones and they have en suites.
- Derrylahan Independent Hostel, Carrick, Co Donegal: This is one of Ireland's friendliest hostels. The facilities are very good (two kitchens!) but above all you are guaranteed a warm peat fire and a chat with a friendly crowd and an amenable host. Added to that there is a campsite here too so you can enjoy the camaraderie of hostelling as well as the peace and quiet of camping. The Slieve League cliffs are about 10km away.
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Inishbofin Island Hostel, Inishbofin: The island is a little gem and this hostel is really the icing on the cake. It's on a nice high spot in the island with panoramic views from the conservatory over the island and to the Connemara coast. There is a nice big kitchen too and generally the hostel is friendly and well cared for - toilets and showers were spotless when I stayed. There is a camping area just behind the hostel too, and you can use the hostel facilities.
The island itself is amazing - beaches, bog, cliffs...it's all the best bits of Connemara condensed into an island you can ride around in a few hours. -
Jamaica Inn, Sixmilebridge, Co Clare: Hostelling has changed a lot in the last few years (anyone remember the 'daily chore' or the sheet sleeping bags?). If I had to pick one hostel as a model for blending the best of the old, with the new, it would be the Jamaica Inn at Sixmilebridge.
The hostel is relatively new (opened 1997), but follows a conventional hostel layout around a central courtyard with dorms that are longer than they are wider. The common areas including an excellent kitchen are along one side, away from the dorms - so you should get a peaceful night's sleep.
The owners are friendly and helpful, without being fussy/obtrusive and the hostel has a brilliant 'travellers' atmosphere - just like hostels always did in the eh em.. good old days.
This is the closest hostel to Shannon Airport so it's a great place to pick the brains of travellers spending their last night in Ireland and ask them about what is worth seeing and what is not. - Killeany Lodge, Inis Mor, Aran Islands: Far from the madding crowds, that's where you'll find Killeany Lodge. A few km from the ferry landing spot at Kilronan, the lodge is set high on a limestone hillside, surrounded by ... well very little. It is a big, wooden-floored stone farmhouse with a good kitchen and atmospheric lounge. The hosts are brilliantly friendly and you can also camp in the garden. All in all this is the Aran Islands at their best. Don't forget to walk up to the nearby Teampall Beanan to watch the sunset.
Your guide to exploring the Emerald Isle on two wheels
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